Property owners and managers owe those who legally enter their grounds a duty of care, meaning that they make their premises safe and hazard-free. If you were recently injured because a property owner did not maintain safe grounds, contact a Trumbull premises liability lawyer. You can receive compensation for your injuries and losses, such as missed time from work resulting in a loss of income. Working with an experienced personal injury attorney can relieve much of the stress associated with your legal claim. By allowing Attorney George W. Ganim, Jr. to investigate the claim, you are showing the property owner that failing to maintain safe premises is unacceptable.
What Are Some Typical Types of Premise Liability Accidents?
There is no set list of premise liability accidents that cause serious injuries, though certain incidents are considered the most common, such as:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Snow and ice accidents
- Dog bites or attacks
- Insufficient lighting
- Fires and explosions
- Negligent security
- Escalator and elevator accidents
- Broken staircases and railings
Building code violations can also result in physical harm. Among the most common injuries from these and other premise accidents include head trauma, spinal cord damage, puncture wounds, lacerations and broken bones. Attorney Ganim can assist you in filing a lawsuit for any one of these situations.
What Are the Visitor Status Types?
Whether or not a property owner is legally responsible to provide duty of care depends on the plaintiff’s legal status on the premises: visitor, invitee, or trespasser. The level of care that an owner must provide depends on how the person is classified. A local premises liability lawyer can help you determine which type of visitor you were during the accident.
Invitees
If the plaintiff was invited to the property, it is the owner’s job to ensure the grounds are safe and that any hazardous areas are blocked off and feature the appropriate signage. These people include family members and social guests.
Licensees
Other visitors who are owed duty of care include licensees. Property owners might not know these individuals will arrive at their grounds; however, they are on the premises for beneficial reasons. Service persons such as electricians and plumbers, as well as salespeople, are examples of licensees.
Trespassers
Property owners do not owe duty of care to trespassers because they entered grounds without the legal right to do so. Even if the trespasser did not intend to vandalize, steal, inflict physical harm or cause any other type of damage, they were not within their legal rights to walk on private property or on off-limits commercial property. The only way a trespasser can collect damages is if the owner needlessly and intentionally tried to harm them.
To prove liability in a premises case, the Trumbull hazardous property attorney must show that you were an invitee or licensee, and that a property defect or hazard resulted in your injuries. For example, if a licensee slipped and fell on an icy, dimly-lit walkway, the property owner clearly violated duty of care protocol if it were left in that condition for an unreasonable period of time under the law.
Reach Out to a Trumbull Premises Liability Attorney for Assistance
Speak with Attorney George W. Ganim, Jr. as soon as possible after your accident to discuss your case and what compensation you could receive. Do not hesitate to contact our office to learn your options. A Trumbull premises liability lawyer can help you claim damages that can pay for your medical expenses and other associated losses.